Cam means for knitting machines



May 1, 1956 F. c. WIESINGER 2,743,595

CAM MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 2, 1955 4 luma 51 .IIL Ilumunu- INVENTOR. FREDERICK C. WIESINGER 73,4 fjfi A TTORNE Y ird States CAM MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Frederick C. Wiesinger, Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to Jacquard Knitting Machine Company, lne, Philadel phia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 2, 1955, Serial No. 485,690

6 Ciaims. (Cl. lid-59) This invention pertains to independent needle knitting machines, and more particularly to improvements in cam means for such machines to render them more effective in the knitting of seamless, tubular fabric.

It is a general object of the invention to devise cam means for machines of the type described which shall make possible the elimination of the blank zone in the complement of needles and other knitting instruments at which changes are made, and to make possible the production of a complete seamless, tubular fabric on these machines.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a gate or similar cam assembly which shall provide for altering the pathway of the butts on knitting instrumentalities from one to another channel separated by a dividing cam without interference between butts and the cam and while efiectingsaid change at any desired point in the complement of needles or other instrumentalities.

A further object is that of accomplishing the above mentioned results without resort to butt difierentiation,

that is, without the necessity of providing butts of two or more diflerent lengths, or butts differently positioned on some instrumentalities as compared to others.

It is a further object to accomplish the results herein set forth with simple, inexpensive and reliable means adapted for use as a component part of new machines or as an attachment capable of being installed in used machines with a minimum of alteration of the basic parts of that used machine.

Other objects will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure.

in circular, independent needle knitting machines various knitting instrumentalities such as needles, jacks, sinkers, sliders, etc., are provided withbutts which pass through cam means which affect the instrumentalities through their butts to cause them to travel in various,

predetermined pathways for carrying out their intended function in the art of knitting. These cams are so arranged that the butts are at times and for a part of the cycle, guided in one pathway and then, for various purposes understood by those skilled in the art, caused to pass to another pathway. This change involves a change of elevation of the instrumentalities in a needle cylinder or a radial movement in a dial and may be for the purpose of causing needles to knit, tuck or welt or may be incidental to patterning or to other functions useful in the production of fabrics the stitch structure of which may take a wide variety of forms.

Distinct pathways provided by the cams are separated by a so-called dividing cam and, as will be evident hereinafter, such a cam is always positioned so that butts must be passed definitely to one or the other, sides of it so as to avoid interference and obvious breaking of one or more butts a change is made. Gate or switch cams are employed to move the butts from one path to the other and these cams are moved against butts in some cases and in others, are caused to move in the direction of movement of the instrumentalities, but in any event provision must be made so that at some dividing point in the complement of butts one group continues in the pathway from which change is made and the other or following group are all cleanly moved all the way to the path to which change is made before any butt can strike the dividing cam. No butt may be moved only to or left in an intermediate position. i

To accomplish this desired result without resort to butt dilierentiation as above mentioned, the present method and mechanism provides for safe, effective and precisely timed alteration by a gate cam or cams of the path of instrumentality butts to develop a wave so that they shall, beginning with any desired butt and instrumentality pass to the opposite side of a dividing cam. Normally, gate cams move only in the direction of movement of the instrumentalities, but as will hereinafter be pointed out, novel means to be described guides and moves such a cam or cams with a component of movement in the direction of relative motion between the passing cams and instrumentalities as well as in the direction of sliding motion of the instrumentalities Within their slots.

Having now broadly stated the general nature and purposes of the invention, it will be described with greater detail by reference to a specific embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying figures of draw-. ing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view taken looking outwardly from a needle bed toward the cams and showing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing parts moved to change the path of instrumentality butts.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken at line 33-44, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a post raising cam star-wheel and actuator.

Fig. 5 is a view of a typical latch needle.

Now referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, enough of a knitting machine is shown to illustrate the application of the invention thereto. While it is equally practical to apply the devices to a rotary needle cylinder machine, the instant disclosure applies more expressly to a rotary cam cylinder, body machine such as the well known Circular Jacquard machine an example of which is evident in United States Patent No. 2,082,127. Particular reference is made to cams for operating needles in a cylinder, but the principles of the invention apply to all instrumen talities with butts, whether in a cylinder or dial.

A cam cylinder rotatable by the usual means has, among other parts, upper and lower needle cams it) and 11 defining a raceway or pathway 12 for needle butts 14, several of which are shown, but, of course, it must be understood that needles or other instrumentalities are evenly spaced about the Whole cylinder or other carrier so that the butts shown are limited for simplicity of showing. The cams move in the direction of the arrow and after passing from pathway 12 butts may continue at the same level in pathway 12' defined by cam 15 which is to an extent a continuation of cam 1.1 and a dividing cam 16. The latter and cam 17 provide another and more elevated pathway 18.

According to the invention, a gate cam assembly is provided by which the butt path can be selectively altered at any desired needle or other instrumentality so that after that particular butt, all following will, e. g., be switched from pathway 12 to that at 18. Then at some later point in the cycle, the pathway of all butts may be caused to return to the pathway 12.

This gate cam assembly comprises a post 19 suitably restrained in a guide means (not shown) and slidable lengthwise or in a direction parallel to the needle movement in their own slots. This post is provided with cam actuating pins 20 and 21 for gate cams 22 and 23, re-

speeti'vely. These cams are guided, preferably at about an angle of 45 to the post, in suitable restraining slots between lower cams 11 and 15 and upper cams 1t and 17. This constitutes one acceptable method of causing the cams to move in a direction oblique to both the movement of the needles in their slots and also to the direction of relative movement of the cams past their needles. The'cams are interconnected for vertical movement up or down with post 19 since pins 20 and 21 function in horizontal slots 24 and 25 in their respective cams. These slots also permit the oblique motion of the cams while still maintaining contact with the pins and control from the post 19.

Obviously, one cam moves upwardly and toward the point 26 of the dividing cam 16 as the other moves upwardly but away from the said point when post 19 is raised, and the reverse takes place as the post is lowered. Each cam 22 or 23 might be provided with a pointed end which would enter between two butts to effect the initial separation or division as cams were moved to switch the path from '12 and 12 to 12 and 18, for example, but a more practical form comprises a flattened end of about enough width to support a single butt while entering between the adjacent butts as shown in Figs. 1 and '2. The movement of these cams is sufiicient to assure that each may move from a withdrawn position where its flattened end aligns with or nearly with the top line of earns 11 and 15, or the lower line of cam 17, as the case may be, to an extended position where its end slightly overlaps the point 26, as shown. Any appropriate means may be used to raise and lower post 19 as required,

preferably some means functioning from a control pattern, but, of course, a means which will function to move the cams so change shall be effected at the particular needle and butt desired; Here the post extends upwardly into a ring 27 so its upper end lies' closely adjacent a rotary, post raising cam 28. This cam 28 is rotatable on a central spindle 29 carried in the ring so its cam groove definedby more or less triangular abutments 30, 31, 32, etc., alternating about its periphery may be moved past follower pin 33 set in the post.

A star-wheel 34, Fig. 4 also, is fixed above and to the cam so that as the star-wheel is rotated, it rotates the cam. A pattern or other periodically movable control means functions through a selector bar 35 engageable in one of notches 36 in the star-wheel to rotate the latter 90 whenever the bar is pushed inwardly to contact a notch. As shown here, four movements, two to raise the post,

and two to lower it, are provided for each revolution of the cam and star-wheel. The cam is stopped and temporarily locked in each of its four stop positions by any convenient type of click stop (not shown).

In practice, the angular movement of the cam 28, the steepness of earns 30, 31, etc., as well as the angle at which cams 22and 23 move are all so coordinated with the relative peripheral velocity at which butts and earns pass, that once bar 35 contacts a notch 36' to start a change, parts will move so that any point on cam 22 or 23 will move at the same velocity as the cam ring and cams 10, 11, etc., but in the opposite direction. To state this another way, for a rotary cam machine, while a change is going on, earns 22, 23 move vertically, but stand still in the sense of relative rotation. Thus the cam 'point engages beneath a particular butt and stays with that butt pushing it up or down, as the case may be, to a point above or below the point of dividing cam 16. Of course, butts past which the cams have moved continue in the pathway 12 or 18 in which they were being directed, while all butts being approached or entering the cams are guided to follow the lead butt-and pass in that pathway to which change as been made. This description relates to and applies equally to cams 22 or '23, but it "must be understood that earn 22 controls changing from the lower to upper path 18, Fig. 2, while cam 23 controls when all butts are to be directed into path 12', Fig. 1. It may be noticed that cams 22 and 23 do not move to such extent that their points are flush with the line of adjacent cams, that only causes butts to pass through a slight upward wave.

Preferably, the movement and angle of the cams 22 and 23 is such as to impart to the butts an easy but effective movement or wave, and the change mechanism for post 19 is so designed as to produce the two components of cam motion in properly timed relationship to other parts. These angles and speeds of movements for parts vary for diflerent installations, but in any event, involve no more than proper engineering calculation so that the cam which effects the change of pathway will move reversely to the relative motion between cams and instrumentalities and at such speed that its point stays with a particular needle while the change is being made.

It is to be understood that the disclosure of one specific example involving needles operable in a cylinder leads to use of specific terms and to stated directions of motion for parts which are peculiarly incidental to such forms and disposal of parts, however, those skilled in the art may easily see that for other applications such as needles or other instrumentalities carried in a dial, for example, these terms and directions will change, but principles involved still apply.

By employing the method and mechanism described and claimed herein, it becomes practicable to knit a complete tube without a gap of a few wales at the point of making changes as is commonly done, and also without the necessity of employing butt differentiation at certain instrumentalities. In either of these schemes previously utilized changes may be effected at a particular zone in the fabric, while with this invention they may be effected anywhere according to the pattern control for moving the gate cam post.

closed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an independent needle knitting machine the combination of knitting instrumentalities havin butts, cams defining differentiating pathways within which said butts may be guided selectively, there being relative movement between said cams and'instrumentalities, and a gate cam means for changing the path of the butts from one pathway to another which comprises a cam having components of movement, one in the direction of movement of the instrumentalities and the other in the direction of relative movement between the instrumentalities and cams and means for moving said gatecam so that the last mentioned component of movement shall be equal to the speed of relative movement between the instrumentalities and cams, but in the opposite direction.

2. In a circular independent needle knitting machine the combination of relatively movable knitting instrumentalities having butts and cams, defining differentiating pathways within which said butts may be guided selectively for actuating said instrumentalities in difierent phases of n knitting function, and means for guiding said butts from one pathway to the other comprising a gate cam, guide means in which said gate cam is restrained for movement obliquely to both the direction of relative movement between the instrumentalities and cams'and to that of the instrumentalities as affected by a cam, and means for moving said cam as thus guided at such speed that its ccmponent in the direction of the parts is equal to the relative speed of the cams past the butts, but in the opposite direction thereto so that any point on the cam will remain substantially aligned with a particular butt during such change of cam position.

3. In a circular independent needle knitting machine the combination of relatively movable knitting instrumentalities having butts and earns defining difierentiating pathways within which said butts may be guided selectively for actuating said instrumentalities in different phases of a knitting function, and means for guiding said butts from one pathway to the other comprising a gate cam, guide means in which said gate can: is restrained for movement obliquely to both the direction of relative movement between the instrumentalities and cams and to that of the instrumentalities as affected by a cam, and means for moving said cam obliquely across the path of the relatively movable butts and at such speed and direction that a point on the cam remains substantially aligned with a particular butt during such movement.

4. In a circular independent needle knitting machine the combination of relatively movable knitting instrumentalities having butts and cams defining differentiating pathways within which said butts may be guided selectively for actuating said instrumentalities in different phases of a knitting function, and means for guiding said butts from one pathway to the other comprising a gate cam, guide means in which said gate cam is restrained for movement obliquely to both the direction of relative movement between the instrumentalities and cams and to that of the instrumenta1i ties as affected by a cam, and means for moving said cam as thus guided which comprises a post movable in the direction of movement of the instrumentalities, a pin and slot connection between said post and cam, and timed control means for moving said post.

5. Mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein said last mentioned means includes post raising cam, a follower pin fixed in said post and affected by said raising cam and a star-wheel contacted at predetermined intervals for rotating said post raising cam.

6. In a circular independent needle knitting machine the combination of relatively movable knitting instrumentalities having butts and cams defining diflerentiating pathways within which said butts may be guided selectively for actuating said instrumentalities in different phases of a knitting function, and means for guiding said butts from one pathway to the other comprising opposed gate cams, guide means in which said gate cams are restrained for movement in intersecting pathways obliquely disposed to both the direction of relative movement between the instrtnnentalities and cams and to the movement of the instrumentalities as affected by a cam, and means for moving said cams as thus guided which comprises a post movable in the direction of movement of the instrumentalitics, pin and slot connections between said post and cams, and timed control means for moving said post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,017,705 Timming Feb. 20, 1912 2,260,579 Miller Oct. 28, 1941 2,527,534 Ellis Oct. 31, 1950' 

